Rein-support



(No Model.)

1L-c. SMITH@ .REIN SUPPORT.

Patenwd Sept. 22; 1896:.

UNITED vSTATES ATENT firmen.

ALLEN O.- SMITH, OF TROY, NEWv YORK.

REIN-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 568,148, datedSeptember 22, 1896.

Application filed October 7, 1895.

4the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a supporter for holding the reins of harness in such manner that they cannot fall down to become caught upon the ends of the thills, shafts, or pole of a vehicle to interfere with a proper management and control of the horse or horses, and thereby avoiding a common cause of accidents, said supporter being adapted to rest exclusively upon the neck of a horse without being attached to any part of the harnessexcepting the reins.

In the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention as applied to use; Fig. 2, a front elevation of my invention det-ached from the reins; Fig. 3, a broken plan view showing one of the rein-clamps separated from the reins; Fig. 4, a vertical section of one of the reins and a rein-clamp attached to the rein, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a rein provided with a permanent stud or button for attaching my supporter thereto.

As represented in the drawings, A designates my rein-supporter,.which is preferably made of leather in the form of a strap which, when applied to use, bends into an inverted-U shape, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to lie loosely on the neck of a horse, as shown in Fig. 1, whereon it will rest without being attached to any part of the harness excepting the reins by which the horse is governed. Said supporter has a buckle B at each end, so as to adjust it to any required length, each end of said supporter being doubled back on itself to form a loop C, which carries a metallic fastener D, whose upper portion is preferably made in a form that is approximately triangular with a cross-bar 1, that is fitted to pass through the loop C of the supporter A. Said fastener also has an opening 2 and a slotted portion 3, by which' the supporter is attached to a rein. As shown in the drawings, the fastener D is made of wire and bent to the form shown', but, if preferred, said fastener can be cut from sheet metal Serial No. 564,841. (No model.)

without departing from the scope of my invention. The body of the supporter A is provided With a series of holes 4, into either of which the tongue of the buckle B will engage to adjust the supporter A to a proper length, and a sliding loop E surrounds the doubled parts of the supporter to reduce the opening of the loop O when occasion requires.

F is a detachable rein-clamp, which is usually formed by a single strip of sheet metal bent to form a U-shaped lower end 5, and having the upper end 6 reinforced, which can be formed by doubling the strip of metal back on itself or by attaching a separate piece of metal thereto, said reinforcement being made to obtain a suflicient thickness of metal for tapping a screw-thread therein. The upper ends of said rein-clamp stand apart, as shown in Fig. 2, to permit a rein to be entered between the two limbs thereof, and, preferably, one of said limbs is provided with a point or points 7, which will indent itself into the rein G to increase the hold of the clamp on the latter. A screw H engages in the screw-thread formed in the reinforce 6, so as to draw the two limbs of the clamp F into contact with both sides of the rein G and effect a positive indentation of the points 7 into the face of the rein, and said screw is provided with a head I, which is made in the form of a projecting button that is adapted to pass into the opening 2 of the fastener D and permit the neck of said head to enter the slotted portion 3 of said fastener to effect the attachment of the supporter A to the rein-clamp F.

In the modification of my invention shown in Fig.. 5 the rein G has a button or stud I', that is permanently secured to said rein by riveting or other suitable means, said stud being adapted to receive the fastener D of the supporter A in the manner previously described in respect to the head I.

My invention is applied in the following manner: The clamps F are attached to the reins G by slipping the latter edgewise between the limbs of said clamps, from which the screws I-I have been removed, and positioning the clamps so that they will be approximately over the shoulders of the horseor, in case of the modification shown in Fig.

IOO

5, securing the stud I in the rein G in a corresponding position-and the supporter' A is passed over the neck of the horse, as shown in Fig. l, Whereon it hangs loosely and remains unattached to any other part of the harness eXceptin g the rein G. The fasteners D are then engaged on the heads I-or the studs I When the modified form of my invention is employed-and the attachment of the supporter is thus completed. Vhile my supporter will permit the horse to raise his head and to move it in any direction, it Will effectually prevent the reins from dropping down, thereby remedying a proliiic cause of accidents.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with a rein-supporter, A, that is adjustable in respect to its length; said reinssupporter being adapted to hang on the neck of a horse and to remain unattached to any part of the harness excepting the reins by Which the horse is governed and is provided With a fastener, D, having a slotted portion, 3, as described, of a rein-clamp, F, that is adjustably attached to a rein; said rein-clamp comprising a U-shaped body Whose inner face is provided With a point or points, 7, adapted to indent the rein to retain said rein-clamp in place, and a detachable screw, H, adapted to draw the tWo limbs of the rein-clamp toward each other; said screw being provided With a head, I, With Which the slotted portion of the fastener D will engage, as herein speciied.

ALLEN C. SMITH. Witnesses WM. H. Low, A. F. LOW. 

